This study was to determine the extent to which the use of high-level questioning, through eliciting responses to selected poems, affects children's value claims. Twenty-seven seventh-grade boys comprised the control group, and twenty-seven eighth-grade boys comprised the experimental group. The experimental group took part in values-clarification experiences for sixteen weeks. The control group received no value instruction. The Values Inventory was administered to both groups at the beginning and at the end of the sixteen weeks. Testing of the hypotheses resulted in eight of the hypotheses being significant at the .01 level, indicating that values-clarification experiences using high-level questioning and selected poems did affect children's value claims.

The problem with which this study dealt was an identification of the positive or negative factors affecting the creation, implementation, and retention or rejection of curriculum change efforts. As examples, the Fountain Valley, PEGASUS-PACE, and Wisconsin Design skills management systems (SMS) for reading were studied as each was an example of successful curriculum change efforts, in two different settings,

The problem investigated was the need for effective and efficient learning for middle school science students to meet expectations set in Goals 2000. The use of the 4MAT Instructional Method was investigated as a possible method for attainment of current science standards. The study included one middle school science instructor's classes with 89 participating students. Measurements were taken and comparisons drawn using three assessment methods to determine if improved academic achievement and attitude scores resulted. Data analysis yielded no significant conclusion in either academic achievement or attitude improvement; however, observations of the researcher indicated potential usefulness of the 4MAT approach. The t-value calculated in the assessment methods was insufficient with a .05 probability of error present in the findings. The limitations of the study skewed the results and outweighed the possible observational insight.

The purposes of this study were to determine whether brain growth spurts occur in normal pupils and to determine whether there was a uniform difference in head circumference between boys and girls. Subjects were 3,062 normal elementary pupils, grades one through six, from one suburban school district. Fiberglass measuring tapes were used to measure pupils' head circumference. The hypotheses of the study predicted that the relationship between head circumference and age would be linear. Further, it was predicted that the differences in head circumference between boys and girls would be uniform over seven specified ages. The first hypothesis was tested using a test for linear trend and deviation from linear trend using the General Linear Models procedure. The results indicated that there was a significant linear trend between head circumference and age. The test for deviation from the linear trend was not significant. This would suggest that any deviation from a straight line observed in the data can be attributed to chance. It was concluded that since there was no significant deviation from linear trend, it would suggest a continuous growth of the brain for the ages included in this study. A two-way analysis of variance was used to test …

The problem of this study was to determine the cognitive development sequence of music skills. This sequence was determined by finding the music skills level, the Piagetian developmental level, and the developmental art level for twelve students differing in reading ability and in the first through fourth grades.The students were individually tested, using Piaget's semi-clinical interview technique. The students were tested on seven Piagetian tasks, ten music tasks, and one art task. The validity was determined through the interview process. The examiner redirected questions until he was certain the subjects were responding from conviction. The reliability of the study was achieved through a test-retest procedure and impartial expert evaluation of the test sessions.

The problem of the study was to compare the relationships between a cognitive-oriented and affective-oriented teacher in-service program on the subsequent incidence of humane characteristics in the classroom. Ninety-two teachers of grades 4, 5, and 6 from three school districts located in the Region XI Education Service Center area were involved in the study. One of the purposes of the study was to obtain information which could be helpful to Texas educators responsible for teacher in-service programs. It is critical that educators know the kinds of in-service programs which produce the greatest change in teacher behavior. This study concludes that in-service education programs which focus on specific instructional skills and strategies related to curriculum content are more viable in achieving the characteristics of a humane classroom than in-service programs which, though they be skills-oriented, do not relate specifically to curriculum content.

The purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which fifth-grade teachers, teachers in special education, and child psychiatrists hold similar views regarding the seriousness of commonly observed student behaviors. In addition, the views of these three groups are compared to research regarding which behaviors in children are predictive of future delinquency. The Wickman Scale, consisting of fifty commonly observed children's behaviors, and a fifteen-pair Semantic Differential Scale, designed for use in this study, were administered to a group of fifth-grade teachers, a group of special education teachers, and a group of child psychiatrists.

The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of the two instructional strategies for six phonic word-attack skills objectives and to focus on the following specific questions: (a) When student teachers use a basal-reader-oriented strategy (Treatment I) for teaching phonic word-attack skills, what will be the effects on elementary pupil achievement of these skills? (b) When student teachers use a systematic instructional strategy (Treatment II) for teaching phonic word-attack skills, what will be the effects on elementary pupil achievement of these skills? (c) How will the effects of these strategies compare? Written criterion-referenced phonic word-attack skills pre-tests were administered to approximately 110 third and fourth grade pupils. The validity of the criterion-referenced tests was judged by a team of reading specialists from North Texas State University. The reliability coefficients of the tests ranged from .57 to .93 and all were significant at the .01 level. This report concludes that when elementary pupil achievement of phonic word-attack skills is used as the criterion for student teacher effectiveness then training in the conscientious application of systematic instructional procedures incorporating research validated learning principles is a more effective procedure than requiring student teachers to follow the recommended procedures in basal readers. …

The purpose of this study was to determine, whether there was a significant difference in the leisure reading habits of two groups of women who were college graduates; one group of elementary classroom teachers, grades one through six, and another group of women who were not teachers.

This paper discusses corporal punishment as a disciplinary method in American public schools. The effectiveness of corporal punishment is investigated. Chapter I introduces corporal punishment as a pertinent educational issue. Chapter II discusses the historical development of corporal punishment. Chapter III discusses the legal ramifications of corporal punishment. Chapter IV looks at surveys and studies that have been conducted in regard to the issue. Chapter V discusses a survey of teachers in Lewisville, Texas. Teachers responded to 42 statements pertaining to corporal punishment. Chapter VI concludes that research indicates that corporal punishment will not be effective unless it is administered harshly and consistently. The paper concludes that corporal punishment will not be necessary if higher educational institutions train teachers in alternative methods.

This study presents an efficacy evaluation of language arts instruction in the Fort Worth, Texas elementary schools.

This qualitative research study examined the concepts of authorship exhibited by twelve selected good readers and writers in grades six and eight. Data were collected during pre-writing session interviews, five hour-long writing sessions, and post-composition interviews, and from written compositions and questionnaires. The following conclusions were drawn from the study. School and home reading programs that emphasized children's literature selections and regular and wide-ranged reading practices directly influenced the subjects' writing behaviors and concepts of authorship. In addition, those students who performed strongest as authors were those who found time to write privately at home or in a home-like situation. Revision occurred in traditional ways, such as movement or deletion of text, but also appeared to be related to the subjects' personal writing styles, such as verbalization, mental outlining, or reading the text out loud. Both grade levels exhibited individual writing development through integration of experiences, knowledge, and physical and social maturation. For these young writers, the key factor in perceived authorship was whether a writer had an interest in and enjoyed writing.

This study was undertaken to investigate the predictive value of certain tests in relationship to first grade reading success. The following predictor tests were administered to seventy first grade students during the first two weeks of school: Metropolitan Readiness Test, Naming Letters Test, Light Response Test and Matching Symbol Test. The Teacher's Reading Readiness Rating Scale was filled out by each of the seven teachers at the end of the sixth week. The Wechsler Intelignce Scale for Children was administered to each child during the fall. The seventh predictor test was computed by finding the difference in individual scores of the Light Response Test and the Matching Symbol Test.

This thesis presents student case studies from a third grade class at an Albany, Texas elementary school. Students with insecurity issues are described and remedial treatments are suggested.

The purposes of this study were (1) to determine whether the mean gains on achievement scores in reading and mathematics for bused students in grades four and five after one year in integrated schools is greater than the mean gain in reading and mathematics achievement scores for similar non-bused students in segregated schools; (2) to determine whether school attendance for bused students is greater than attendance for similar non-bused students; and (3) to determine if attitude toward school, academic self-concept, and general self-concept among groups of subjects are different. The analysis and interpretation of data yielded the following conclusions. 1. The elements associated with increased achievement in reading for fourth-grade minority students are not likely to be positively facilitated by increasing the majority-minority ratio by busing. 2. The elements associated with increased achievement in reading for minority fifth-grade students may be enhanced by busing for racial balance. 3. The elements associated with increased achievement in mathematics for minority fourth-grade students may be enhanced by busing for racial balance. 4. The elements associated with increased achievement in mathematics for minority students are not likely to be facilitated by increasing the majority-minority ratio. 5. The busing of minority students out of their …

The purpose of this study was to assess whether guided practice is more effective than no guided practice (1) in fifth and sixth grade classrooms, (2) in fifth and sixth grade social studies classrooms and fifth and sixth grade science classrooms, and (3) in science classrooms and social studies classrooms. In this experimental study, all fifth and sixth grade students in a small school district in north Texas were randomly assigned to two experimental groups and two control groups in each grade. Over the course of one month two teachers who had previously been trained in the use of guided practice procedures taught the experimental groups in each grade, using, extensive guided practice. Two other teachers taught the control groups in each grade without the use of guided practice. Students in both groups were administered a pretest before beginning each of two chapters in each textbook, while a posttest was administered after the study of each chapter. The analysis and interpretation of data yielded the conclusions that the use of guided practice in classes can be expected to result in higher student achievement than in classes using little or no guided practice in the following areas: science classes, social studies …

This study compares the effect of the objectives-based test collections of the Instructional Objectives Exchange on reading comprehension and word-attack skills of fifth-grade students in a basal reader program. The IOX, a non-profit educational organization, was established in the late 1960's to provide educators with instructional materials such as criterion-referenced tests to allow realistic assessment of students in reference to specific instructional objectives. IOX Director James Popham states the Exchange's purpose as encouraging educators throughout the country to use criterion-referenced instructional procedures. The study compares gains in reading comprehension and word-attack skills of a research group with the gains of a control group, using the Stanford Diagnostic Reading Test for both pre-test and post-test. The IOX criterion-referenced tests were added to the reading program for the research group but were not given the control group.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether students' attitudes towards writing and their abilities to write were affected by their teacher's participation in their writing assignments. The null hypotheses that no significant differences would be found were supported. The control group and two experimental groups were all composed of fourth, fifth, and sixth graders from a racially mixed elementary school in a large metropolitan school district. The two experimental groups received identical instruction in writing skills except that the teacher wrote with one group and not with the other. The attitude scale, constructed for this experiment, proved to be statistically invalid and unreliable.

The problem with which this investigation is concerned is the effect of work-study method instruction upon the achievement of students in fifth grade social studies. The purpose of this investigation is to determine the effects of the SQ3R (Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review) Study Method instruction upon the achievement of students in fifth grade social studies. The subjects ranged in age from ten years two months to thirteen years three months. Th I.Q. for the subjects ranged from 70 to 135. Of the 102 subjects involved in the study, 42 were male and 60 were female. The I.Q. score from the California Test of Mental Maturity, S Form was used to structure the subjects into three intelligence levels. Fifty-four subjects served as the experimental group, and forty-eight served as the control group. The instrument used to obtain pretest and posttest scores on the variable relating to achievement was the SRA Assessment Survey, Blue Level. Form E was used for the pretest, and Form F was used for the posttest. The subjects were assigned to four classes which were near equal. Two classes were selected by the principal to serve as the experimental group. The other two classes served as the …

This study is limited to the mathematics performance of two intact groups of culturally deprived kindergarten students, mostly blacks, with a few whites and Mexican-Americans, who were enrolled at Robert E. Lee Elementary School (Denton, Texas) for the entire school year of 1970-1971. The purposes of the study are to compare the effectiveness of two methods of teaching mathematics to culturally disadvantaged children and to check for interaction of treatments when these children are classified by sex.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a transitional first grade program. A comparison of reading and math achievement and school attitude was the focus of the study. The study utilized a pretest/posttest design. The group of regular first grade students who qualified for the transitional program but attended regular first grade was the control group. The group of transitional first grade students was the experimental group. The regular first grade students received formal instruction in all academic areas. The experimental group received no formal instruction. All students were pretested and posttested using the Iowa Test of Basic Skills and the Minnesota School Attitude Survey. Testing was administered to small groups of five or less by the researcher. Scoring was done also by the researcher. An analysis of covariance was used to determine if a significant difference existed between the groups. The analysis of covariance did not produce a significant F at the .05 level when applied to the Iowa Test of Basic Skills except for reading for boys in both groups. The numbers in each cell were low and no further comparisons were made. Due to a testing date that was approved late in the …

The problem was to assess the effectiveness of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) in reading and math and to determine the relationship between achievement using CAI and selected learning style elements. Learning style elements were limited to motivation, learning alone or with peers, auditory, visual, tactual, and kinesthetic perceptions. The Learning Style Inventory provided learning style data and The Iowa Tests of Basic Skills measured achievement. Both tests were administered in the classroom. Three hundred (300) fourth-grade students in six suburban schools were divided into experimental and control groups. The treatment was CAI in reading or mathematics for fifteen minutes per day and regular instruction. The nonequivalent control group design allowed for testing and treatment conditions for intact groups. Pre- and post-test achievement measures were administered to all subjects. An analysis of covariance was computed for the achievement measures. A correlation coefficient was calculated to determine the relationship between achievement and each learning style element. The Manova multiple regression procedure was used to determine which combination of selected learning style elements could predict achievement. The pre-test and time on task were used as covariates to control for initial differences between groups. The findings were: (1) the experimental groups gained significantly higher scores …

The present research was an investigation of the effects of computer assisted instruction as a supplement to classroom instruction in reading and arithmetic. The purposes of this study were to determine the effectiveness of microcomputer usage in supplemental reading comprehension and math instruction. Utilizing an elaboration of the pre-test, posttest control group design, 66 fifth graders completed the 4-month study. One-way analysis of covariance was used to analyze the data.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of participation in a Computer-Assisted instructional program (CAI) on fourth grade student attitudes and achievement in reading and mathematics. This study, based on Campbell and Stanley's quasiexperimental design 10, utilized Diascriptive Reading software for the CAI mathematics group and Milliken Math Sequences software for the CAI mathematics group and was completed by 242 students. The time span between pretests and posttests was seven months. Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, Level 10, Form 7/8 was used for achievement testing and Estes Attitude Scale was used for attitude testing. Analysis of covariance was used to determine significance at the .05 level. The findings for this study were: 1. Reading Comprehension posttest scores were significantly higher for the control group than for the reading experimental group; 2. Reading Comprehension posttest scores were not significantly higher for boys than for girls within the reading experimental group; 3. Total math posttest scores were significantly higher for the mathematics experimental group than for the control group; 4. Concepts and Computation math subsets posttest scores were significantly higher for the mathematics experimental group than for the control group. There were no significant differences between the posttest scores …